September 4, 2007

Review: The Girlfriend's Guide to Bay Gear

I'm sure I wasn't the first person to get pregnant not knowing a thing about babies and what they gear they needed. I knew I wanted to have a baby, but once I finally succumbed to pressure and started my registry, I realized that I didn't have a clue about what I should buy, what would be a waste of my money, what was safe and what could potentially harm my baby, etc. I had no clue. So what I did was run to my nearest bookstore and see what was there that could help me. Low and behold, I discovered The Girlfriend's Guide to Baby Gear by Vicki Iovine. Having worked in said bookstore in the past, I was aware of the very popular The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy and had actually read it during my break times before deciding to try for a baby. I loved it as it was hysterical, and flipping through this book, I thought it looked like it had a lot of good information in it. And it really did too. It has a whole chapter on buying a car seat, lots of good information on what you may want for a stroller and what types are out there, great safety advice that I never would have thought of (such as those car seat mirrors being huge safety hazards in the event of an accident), and opinions on what good brands are. It's also co-authored by Peg Rosen who is an expert about safety with babies. I don't have the book anymore as I passed it along to my cousin when she became pregnant, but it's a must read for any first time mom. Use it when you make your registry and for all baby purchases you make for your little one, it'll be a huge help.